Now I cannot be bothered at all to write down all the great films of 2008 and put them into a list of ten great films, but here are some 2008 releases that passed people by, had very limited releases or suffered from bad reviews that caused them to be barely seen, they’re not necessarily good films but it won’t go down unless it’s fun. I’ve tried to put in a few films that didn’t really feature on any of the top ten lists:
Bucket List: Wow I haven’t seen this in nearly a year but I remember seeing a great story with two brilliant actors, it’s cheesy, clichéd and sappy but it’s a film about embracing life and its very fun to watch. It took a lot of flak for portraying dying of cancer as fun and I think it’s on the worst films of the year for a lot of people, nevertheless there’s fun to be had, escapism to experience and a great story to be seen.
Rambo: the fourth installment in the series was met with almost constant negative reviews plus it failed to reach the top spot, losing to Meet The Spartans from the people that have ruined the spoof forever. Rambo is one of the most violent films I have ever seen, he kills 236 people in the film which is more than the previous 3 films combined, the film is by no means perfect but it is constantly entertaining, people may consider the violence as extreme and glorified but the Burmese praise the film for its portrayal of the dictatorship that is going on. Bring on the Expendables.
Be Kind Rewind: Mixed reviews and an abysmal box office helped this one stay under radar but Michel Gondry has created this wonderful tribute to films and the process of extremely amateur film making, the film embraces it’s stupidity and never takes itself too seriously, it finds a the right tone to never feel to sentimental whilst keeping all of its heart. It has a wonderful cast Jack Black and Mos Def create a brilliant friendship and Danny Glover never disappoints. It’s by no means a perfect film, the pacing is slightly off but if this doesn’t touch you in some way your heart must be pumping liquid nitrogen.
Run Fat Boy Run: to call the film conventional is like calling the sky blue or calling Vantage Point a terrible movie. Maybe one of the most predictable films ever; it feels like a Nick Hornby novel written on autopilot by a supercomputer that has extracted every classic element of any true underdog story. That doesn’t matter because Simon Pegg and the great supporting cast make it very watchable, it’s fun, It’s nothing special but it doesn’t need to be 2008 was a year of trying too hard and not trying at all. This falls nicely in the middle lots of laughs and never too serious, the film was directed by David Schwimmer and written by Simon Pegg and Stella member Michael Ian Black, it’s fun enjoyable and as long as it’s there it means no one has to endure the worst film of the year and maybe the worst film of next year just because I can’t see a film coming out next year being as bad as Vantage Point, Then again last year I did not see any films by Uwe Boll or the people that keep making the
spoof movies.
Shine A Light: The Rolling Stones, Martin Scorsese what could go wrong? Absolutely nothing, if you like the Rolling Stones and never had the opportunity to see them live then this is incredible, almost the whole concert in entirety with the odd small vignette of their history and backstage segment. The film is one of the best concerts captured on film and features some incredible performances with special guests like Buddy Guy and Christina Aguilera, the film had a very limited release with a worldwide gross of on about $15 million, If it has passed you by then there is a lot of fun to be had here.
The Visitor: this film is finally getting the props it deserves with Richard Jenkins best actor nomination at this month’s Academy Awards, this is the second film from Thomas McCarthy the director of The Station Agent. The film wasn’t on many people’s top ten lists and has more substance than a lot of the films I have seen this year, Jenkins performance is subtle but brilliant and he is quickly becoming one of the most watchable actors around, even though he has been around for a while. If you don't believe me check out his true Hollywood stories below, oh and watch The Visitor!
The Fall: Maybe the most beautiful and ostentatious films ever made. Directed by Tarsem Singh who now just goes by Tarsem which is Polish for pretentiousness, no in all seriousness The Fall is one of the most stunningly visual films you will ever see. The story is far from perfect and the film constantly echoes The Princess Bride but it is still worth a watch, the film came out to mixed reviews and an appalling gross and is currently out on DVD. It took over four years to make, was filmed in over 20 countries and apparently there are no special effects what so ever, in all honesty this is a great overlooked film and deserves some recognition.
Bigger Stronger Faster: This had a very limited release after it opened at Sundance 2008. Its a very interesting documentary about the use of steroids in sport and how it is an overlooked and slightly accepted practice in the states. The key to this film is director Christopher Bell's voyeuristic look at the subject by examining his brothers who are both users. The personal approach helps to see desire and motivation of the users plus the effect on the loved ones around them, it addresses key points and open the subject up to a wide discussion a great documentary that has been greatly overlooked.
Mongol: The first part in Sergei Bodrov's Genghis Khan trilogy is just incredible, I mean that is the best way to describe one of the best films I saw last year. Brilliant acting mixed with intelligent and superbly filmed battles, topped off with beautiful cinematography and a story that is compelling and mostly unknown. It is hard to imagine that this epic only cost $20 million to make, it has had very positive reviews from critics but only managed to make about $25 million worldwide. The film is currently out on dvd and the sequel The Great Khan is in pre production for a 2010 release, do not miss this film!
Transsiberian: Directed by Brad Anderson who also directed the underrated 2004 drama The Machinist. Transsiberian is a great Hitchcockish thriller featuring Woody Harrelson and Emily Mortimer as a naive American couple who become tangled in a drug smuggling plot by befriending another couple during the journey on the famous train journey. It is full of suspense and clever plot turns, Ben Kingsley also does a good job as an investigator and the film is constantly engaging. despite very good reviews Transsiberian failed to make any impact at all during its very limited release, check it out now on Dvd.
Step-Brothers: One of the funniest films I have ever seen John C. Riley and Will Ferrell hit every mark here as a pair of forty somethings that still live with their parents played by the brilliant Richard Jenkins and Mary Steenbergen, it also features Adam Scott, Kathryn Hahn and Rob Riggle. The film actually did very well in box office terms grossing nearly $130 million worldwide but was panned by critics, this panning was the reason i never saw it in cinemas and waited till dvd and upon watching it on dvd i got to witness one of the best comedies I have ever seen, it's crass, stupid, juvenile and vulgar but it never stops being constant fun.
Frozen River: Another film benefiting from the Oscar Bump, Mellisa Leo (who has been nominated for best actress) plays a single mother struggling to make ends meet to be able to afford a new home for her two sons in time for Christmas, after her husband has bailed out on them to gamble away their savings. She is lured into the world of people trafficking when she encounters a young women who is part of the Indian reservations, the two begin to take people across the border through the reservations to make money, eventually the police get involved and the story unravels. The film is triumphantly acted and the characters presented are real people and never feel over-dramatized. Frozen River is currently still enjoying a very limited release, try and see it while you can in cinemas although i think it may be coming out on Dvd in a few months.
The Rocker: This film suffered from appalling reviews and just a disgusting box office and it was all a bit too harsh. The film is far from perfect but it's not that bad it's not nearly as bad as have of the brainless bulls*it comedies that keep coming out on an assembly line. The main thing that the movie has going for it is a very entertaining cast Rainn Wilson gives a hysterical performance and is helped by Josh Gad, Jeff Garlin, Jennifer Lynch, Jason Sudeikis, Will Arnett and Christina Applegate who be lookin All Sorts a Good and the film is directed by Peter Cattaneo who directed the 1997 hit The Full Monty. It has has some of the worst teen, emo, pop Shi*ty music ever and i don't think this helped its terrible reviews, but if you missed the film it's no that bad just fast forward every time the main band plays a song.
Appaloosa: This is a very impressive directorial debut from Ed Harris who also stars as the main character along with Viggo Mortensen, Renee Zellweger, Lance Henrikson and Jeremy Irons. The cinematography is beautiful and the acting is on par, it's a small story but an entertaining one and the ending is absolutely bad-ass. The film had mixed reviews and had an acceptable box office of about $27 million worldwide, it's not a gung ho western it moves very steady but is always entertaining, anyway if you missed it its worth a viewing.
Ghost Town: Wow the previews for this were awful I had absolutely no interest in seeing any moment of this film, until I saw it on Dvd and found that's its actually pretty good. Ricky Gervais makes the leap to film quite well and hes actually funny, it's really enjoyable, Greg Kennear and Tea Leoni round off the cast in this comedy that's a bit of a mix between The Sixth Sense and The Frighteners. You may have missed it during it's release as it had a dismal gross and just above average reviews. It's a nice simple funny film that is easy to watch, try it out.
Ballast: winner of awards at last years Sundance awards for best direction and cinematography, the film is about a mans suicides and how it affects the lives of three different people living in the Mississippi Delta. The film is very real and raw the characters all have drama and the tone of the film never breaks. Even though the film is an independent juggernaut like most indie films it has failed to reach a large audience and if it passed you by you missed out on a very powerful film.
Flash Of Genius: This was a real blip on the radar, its the classic David vs. Goliath, small man vs. big business story based on the true life experience of Robert Kearnes who invented the intermittent windshield wiper system that is used on almost every car today. Greg Kennear play Kearns who has his inventions taken away from him when almost every automobile company takes the invention without giving him a dime. The film deals with the obsession to win that eventually destroys Kearnes typical American life, Lauren Graham stars as his wife and Alan Alda also features. The acting is wonderful and the story is very interesting, I'am actually very surprised that the film did so badly both critically and at the box office. It's a great little film and one that might have definitely passed you by.
JCVD: This was a great surprise of the year, Van Damme came back and showed everyone why he is aware. He plays himself as a down and out actor dealing with situations that mirror his real life. when he is mistaken for holding up a post office in Belgium a media frenzy begins and a new Dog Day Afternoon for the century begins. Van Damme shows acting skills that one would never have thought possible from watching Timecop and this was a big undiscovered gem of the year. It received great reviews from critics and had a very limited release, it's due out on Dvd soon do not let it pass you by.
So thats basically all the films that I can think of that could have been overlooked this year I'm sure we've missed some, let us know.
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